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Calls grow for apology after Peel Police Chief meets Deshabandu
Pressure was mounting from members of the public and elected officials for the chief of one of Canada’s biggest police forces to apologise for meeting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon, Global Media of Canada said yesterday.
Tamil Canadians, including Toronto city councillor Parthi Kandavel, are calling the visit “deeply upsetting to all Canadians.”
Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah serves Mississauga, Brampton and Pearson airport and runs the third-largest municipal police service in the country. Duraiappah recently travelled to Sri Lanka, his country of birth, on what Peel described as “personal trip.”
Photos published by Lankan media show Duraiappah posing alongside IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon, on Dec 29, 2023, in Colombo.
Two weeks earlier, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court said Tennakoon had been involved in the brutal arrest and torture of a man there.
“Tamil Canadians are hurt and demand a full and clear apology for this trip,” Kandavel told Global News. “It brings (the Peel chief’s) judgment into question, and it needs to be addressed by an explanation.”
The Peel Police Chief declined Global News’ request for an interview and did not answer repeated questions about the meeting.
Last week, a Peel Regional Police spokesperson said Duraiappah discussed the requests with Global Affairs Canada and the RCMP beforehand.
Both agencies told Global News they did not organize the visit, while the Mounties said they informed Duraiappah about the Supreme Court ruling against Tennakoon ahead of time.
“The (Peel) Police Board needs to take some action against him and say, ‘Look, what you did was wrong. You’ve offended a large population of the community that lives here,’” Ram Selvarajah, the President of the Peel Regional Labour Council, told Global News.
Selvarajah said Duraiappah’s appointment as the chief of Peel Police five years ago was a source of pride for Tamil Canadians.
That’s why his meeting with Tennakoon was “highly disappointing,” Selvarajah said.
“I don’t know how many police officers bring their uniform on vacation,” he added.
Criminal defence lawyer Krisna Saravanamuttu, who came to Canada as a Tamil refugee, called Duraiappah’s visit “a mistake that demands some accountability.”
Saravanamuttu, who works in the Greater Toronto Area and specializes in police misconduct, said Duraiappah’s meeting raises “all sorts of questions about what the Police Chief was doing and why he has yet to provide any type of meaningful response to the community’s concerns.”
The Peel spokesperson said there is “no ongoing initiative or collaboration between Peel Regional Police and any organization in Sri Lanka.”
But Saravanamuttu wants a “guarantee” from the force that it will have “no relationship whatsoever with their counterparts in Sri Lanka because … what kind of signal does it send to Tamil community members, many of whom have lived through state violence.”
Last month, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights delivered a grim assessment on the current situation.
“I remain deeply concerned about recurring, credible accounts received by my office of abductions, unlawful detention and torture, including sexual violence by the Sri Lankan police,” commissioner Volker Türk told the UN Human Rights Council March 1.
Türk also condemned the appointment of Tennakoon, saying it highlights the need for reform.
It’s against this backdrop Toronto District School Board trustee Yalini Rajakulasingam found the Peel Chief’s visit “unacceptable.”
“I think what that meeting represents goes beyond them as individuals,” she said.
Rajakulasingam says Duraiappah’s actions are a setback in efforts to honour Tamils who died in the conflict.
Last year, Canada’s parliamentarians commemorated Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day on May 18 for the first time, marking the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians during the war. A monument in their memory is being built in Brampton and is expected to be unveiled next year.
“So many Tamil activists worldwide that have prioritized their work around this. What does it say to those folks? What does it say to survivors?” Rajakulasingam said.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
